The CCNA 200-301 is one of the most popular entry-level networking certifications, designed to build a strong foundation in networking concepts. It covers essential topics like IP connectivity, network access, security fundamentals, automation, and troubleshooting, making it ideal for beginners entering the IT field.

Many candidates use exam dumps and practice tests to understand real exam patterns and commonly tested scenarios. These resources help improve accuracy, speed, and confidence before the actual exam. Platforms like Cert Empire provide updated CCNA 200-301 exam dumps that align with current exam objectives, making preparation more efficient. However, combining these with hands-on lab practice and official Cisco resources ensures a deeper understanding. With the right preparation strategy, CCNA can open doors to networking roles and long-term career growth.

See: https://certempire.com/exam/ccna-200-301-exam-questions

Quote:MRG Effitas - Consumer Assessment & Certification Programme 03/2026

Introduction

Since its inception in 2009, MRG Effitas has specialised in evaluating how security products perform against real-world threats, with particular emphasis on malware and online fraud affecting everyday users.

This Consumer Assessment & Certification Programme is powered by the Tempus testing platform and is designed to closely reflect real-world usage scenarios on Windows systems. The methodology simulates the types of threats consumers are most likely to encounter, enabling an objective assessment of how effectively security products protect against modern attacks and supporting informed product selection.

Historically, security testing focused primarily on static malware detection rates. In recent years, however, methodologies have evolved significantly.

Under the guidance of AMTSO, of which MRG Effitas is a member, testing organisations increasingly conduct Real-World testing based on transparent and standardised principles. Information regarding the AMTSO compliance status of this test is publicly available at:

https://www.amtso.org/amtso-ls1-tp192

Full Report

Quote:Microsoft has introduced a change to the Windows 11 out-of-box setup experience that lets users skip the update installation step during initial PC setup. The option is now generally available after months of testing with select groups, according to Aria, a Microsoft engineer working on Windows Update.

Previously, Windows 11 setup forced users to wait through an update process that could take up to 30 minutes, depending on the number of pending updates, resulting in total setup times of up to 40 minutes.

How the Windows 11 “Update Later” Button Works and What It Means for Future Updates

A new "update later" button now appears below the update progress bar during setup. Users who choose it will go straight to the desktop without waiting for updates to install. Aria confirmed that skipping updates means "the latest features and security fixes won't be applied until you choose to install them after reaching the desktop." Updates can still be installed manually later through Windows Update in Settings.

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Quote:Smart sex toys and their companion apps collect and process some extremely personal data. We break down the risks involved, and ways to protect your privacy.
 
The smart-home craze has connected everything — from your lightbulbs to your tea kettle — to the internet, and the adult industry isn’t sitting this one out: manufacturers are releasing more smart models than ever. While syncing a sex toy to your smartphone unlocks some cool extra features, it also opens the door to potential security and privacy headaches. The good news? You can significantly lower most of these risks just by tweaking your settings and adjusting your usage habits.

How sex-toy apps actually work

To be clear upfront, while researchers have successfully hijacked sex toys in controlled experiments, the odds of a hacker remotely taking over your vibrator in the real world are pretty slim. In this post, we focus on the more realistic risks: your privacy and the safety of your data.

Most modern adult toys link up with the manufacturer’s app. These apps offer a range of usage options: you can control the device yourself, or hand over the remote to a partner — anywhere in the world via the internet.

Beyond just basic controls, many of these apps have social features: private messaging, group chats, calls, and even video sessions. In fact, you don’t even need a physical device to use some of them; you just create an account. Because of this, some of these services have essentially evolved into niche dating platforms.

The toy and your phone talk to each other via Bluetooth — with minimal risks. To handle social features or remote control, the app connects to a cloud server. This creates a constant stream of data moving back and forth: everything from commands to private messages.

Here’s the catch: even if you only use the app to control your toy locally via Bluetooth, you still get connected to that cloud server. That means you’re inheriting all the security and privacy risks.

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Quote:Microsoft has announced updates to the Windows Insider program, streamlining its channels into two main options and giving Insiders more direct control over the features they access. The company says these changes respond to feedback from Insider participants, including their first in-person meet-up, where users expressed confusion about how the current channels worked.

Two Primary Windows Insider Channels Replace Four

The current Dev, Canary, and Beta channels are being replaced by two main channels: Experimental and Beta. 

The Experimental channel takes the place of the former Dev and Canary channels. Microsoft explains it as early access to features still under development, with the understanding that what appears in this channel may change, be delayed, or not be released at all. 

The Beta channel replaces the previous Beta Channel and previews features that Microsoft plans to ship in the coming weeks. The key change here is that gradual feature rollouts in Beta are ending. Microsoft states that when a feature is announced in a Beta update and a user installs that update, the feature will be available on their device.

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Quote:Linus Torvalds has announced the release of Linux kernel 7.0. This version uses a rounded number because the 6.x series reached a point where a clean rollover helps avoid confusion. Torvalds has made it clear that major version numbers do not necessarily indicate architectural changes.

The release also included a comment from Torvalds about the increasing role of AI in kernel development. He noted that AI tools are likely to continue uncovering corner cases for some time, which he described as possibly becoming the 'new normal" for the foreseeable future.

Official Rust Support And Other Notable Changes in Linux 7.0

The most notable update in Linux 7.0 is the end of experimental support for the Rust programming language, which is now officially supported for kernel development. Rust had been in an experimental phase within the kernel for several release cycles. With the move to official support, developers can now write kernel code in Rust without it being considered provisional.

Linux 7.0 introduces several updates, including enhanced support for ARM, RISC-V, and Loongson processors. It also offers more advanced KVM virtual machine support for AMD EPYC 5 CPUs. The filesystem has been made more resilient against corruption through self-healing XFS. Additionally, new code has been added for SPARC and DEC Alpha processors, as spotted by Phoronix.

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Quote:Hackers accessed a secondary API on the CPUID website between April 9 at 15:00 UTC and April 10 at around 10:00 UTC. During this time, the site served malicious download links instead of legitimate installers for several popular hardware monitoring utilities. CPUID has confirmed the breach and says the compromised API has been fixed. They are now serving clean versions of all affected tools.

Users who downloaded CPU-Z, HWMonitor, HWMonitor Pro, or PerfMonitor during the six-hour period may have received tampered versions. However, CPUID's original signed binaries were not altered.

What Malware Was Delivered Through the CPUID Downloads

The malicious downloads were funneled through Cloudflare R2 storage and delivered a fake HWiNFO installer named HWiNFO_Monitor_Setup, packaged with a Russian Inno Setup wrapper. According to Kaspersky's analysis, the trojanized versions included a legitimately signed executable along with a malicious DLL called CRYPTBASE.dll, which was used for DLL sideloading.

The malicious DLL performed anti-sandbox checks before connecting to a command-and-control server and executing a final payload identified as STX RAT. This remote access trojan has infostealer capabilities and has been documented by researchers at eSentire. The malware operated almost entirely in memory and used techniques to evade endpoint detection and antivirus software.

The four affected software versions were:

• CPU-Z version 2.19
  
• HWMonitor Pro version 1.57
  
• HWMonitor version 1.63
  
• PerfMonitor version 2.04.
  

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Quote:Google has introduced Device Bound Session Credentials in Chrome 146 for Windows. This security feature cryptographically ties session cookies to a device's hardware, making it impossible for stolen cookies to be used on a different machine.

Support for macOS has not been announced. The feature was first announced in 2024 and was developed in partnership with Microsoft as an open web standard.

How DBSC Works in Chrome 146 on Windows



DBSC links a user's browser session to the device's security hardware, which is the Trusted Platform Module on Windows and the Secure Enclave on macOS. During session creation, the security chip generates a unique pair of public and private keys.

Since the private key can’t be exported from the device, any session cookie stolen by malware becomes useless elsewhere. Short-lived session cookies are only issued when Chrome can prove to the server that it possesses the corresponding private key. Without this proof, exfiltrated cookies will expire and cannot be used to authenticate the attacker to the target service.

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Quote:If you use the popular messaging service WhatsApp, you know that you can only add contacts to the service with a phone number. Don’t have the number registered to a WhatsApp account? Then you can’t add the contact to the app.

Clearly, having to share your phone number is not always a good idea. While you may not have any issues sharing it with close friends or family, giving it to others is another matter.

It is a privacy and security issue. Other messengers support usernames, which do not reveal critical information to a third-party.

WhatsApp started to work on usernames about three years ago, but the Meta-owned app is just about to start rolling the feature out to a first batch of users, reports WABetaInfo.

You can add a username in the settings. Once you do, you may share the username with others to get them to add you to the messenger. Good news is that you can further protect the username with a code, which others need to provide when they try to add you.

However, there are quite a few limitations regarding usernames. Here are noteworthy ones:

• The username can be between 3 and 23 characters in length.
  
• It needs to start with a letter, and can only contain letters, numbers, underscore, and a period.
  
• It can’t be a domain name or start with www.
  
• It can’t be taken, if someone on Instagram or Facebook picked it already. The user who picked it can get it on WhatsApp.
  

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Quote:Apple Releases iOS 26.4.1 and iPadOS 26.4.1 With Bug Fixes

Apple today released minor iOS 26.4.1 and iPadOS 26.4.1 software updates for the iPhone and iPad, respectively. The updates have a build number of 23E254, and they arrive a little more than two weeks after Apple released iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4.

According to Apple's release notes, the software updates contain unspecified "bug fixes."

The updates do not include any security fixes, according to Apple's website.

Apple Releases iOS 26.4.1 and iPadOS 26.4.1 With Bug Fixes

iOS 26.4.1 fixes iPhone bug that stopped iCloud data from syncing, including Apple Passwords - 9